The Inner Voice Puzzle
12" x 16"
Moderate Level
266 waterjet cut pieces
Puzzle art edition celebrating the exhibition American History Vol.5: Art of Collaboration
Painting: The Inner Voice, from the tryptic watercolor series Reasons We Strive, by Richard Samuel, 2026
Poem: Before the Applause by Jay Writes
Read the poem while assembling the puzzle with your own group of favorite collaborators.
Artist Richard Samuel created Reasons We Strive, a three-panel exploration of human ambition — a visual meditation on the layered motivations that push us forward even when the path feels uncertain. Each canvas represents a different force behind our pursuit of greatness, revealing that striving is never powered by just one reason, but by a dynamic intersection of desire, love, and recognition. The first painting in the series, The Inner Voice, is featured in this special puzzle art edition.
Together, the triptych of watercolor paintings suggests that our striving is rarely singular. We move forward because of who we are, who we love, and how we wish to be seen. Reasons We Strive invites viewers to consider their own motivations — and to recognize that ambition, in all its forms, is a layered and deeply human experience.
Before the Applause
By Jay Writes
Inner voice:
The reason why we do what we do
For the love of the game
The journey over destination
For the inner child raised to be a fighter
A survivor who made it through 12 rounds,
was knocked down
But can’t knock my Nipsey hustle
Yet I tussled, exorcising demons for this dream
Was I foolish to think this dream that can’t be deferred
Well, let my mama tell you
I've been accumulating these Ls,
Chasing after these M’s
Think I’m N Over my head,
Pushing P for these dreams
Seems that my head’s in the clouds ‘cause
I shot for the stars,
But now, free-falling with no parachute
This greatness is a passion, my pursuit
Can’t fill the void,
Til I silence noise
battle of the inner voice
For the inner child who learned the worst no, is the no given to self
Circle of love
Those who believed in me when my self esteemed faltered
Even when critics doubted me when odds stacked against like Jenga towers
Awaiting for my fall, but they kept waiting for the tumble
My family loved me at my valleys trusting I’d peak
I know that I put community over competition
I know my heart was gold before I could afford it
I know the worst debt is wasted time
As a starving artist, you kept my heart full
You prayed for my success, now it’s come to fruition
Fruits of your labor have ripened; please come to this feast
This is no Last Supper, for traitors have no place at this table
This is por mi barrio, Granny’s House, & my brothas all around me
I know there’s a weight of the gifted, I almost quit!
Mama told me don’t flirt with it, marry it
Well Mama, I'm ready to remove the veil
Love exists within us all, the most beautiful thing I could reach for
The spotlight
We do it for the glory,
the story of conquest
For triumph over trials and tribulations
For the critic whose words were made to break down
Know, that they built me up
Know, my ego is Teflon
Reflection of work ethic
Endless days n nights
In the ring, the lab
Fought my toughest battles in the arena of my mind
Know that me, myself, and I are my worst enemy
What pushes me can punish me
That my dreams have been nightmares
That I float like a thought, & sting like failure
That this feeling deep down that something must be done
But as equally deep, there’s a
That I’ve read my obituary on papers before God spoke
They said
“He’s Ready to run from the ring!
On his treadmill of futility!”
“Maybe he should quit” would’ve shook
Once sought validation from crowds
But before the applause, I already stood as champion
The spotlight is strange,
Magnifying highs & lows
All of nothing
But I am somebody
I am somebody
I am
Follow: @jaywrites @richesartwork @richesartgallery
The Puzzled Co’s mission is to make Puzzles for EveryBody. From the art of the moment to tactile puzzles for the visually impaired, our puzzles expand access to the educational, physical and mental health benefits revealed by the joy of puzzling together.
Puzzles made with waterproof PVC